Wiper blades for BJ8

[CanberraBJ8]

After a rather wet drive with friends this morning I came home and applied some sealant between the windshield to body seal and the top of the scuttle. I'd had constant water dribbling down my leg. I replaced the seal a few months ago and this was the first real test in the rain. I've not had water coming in before...

However... While I was doing this my gaze settled on the wipers, and I pondered whether I could improve their function - I know the wipers on all our old cars are typically poor, but I'm sure mine could work better. Anyway, I took them off and noticed the arms were "Made in Australia'... so obviously not original. They are pretty worn and sloppy in the joints and also tend to hit the edge of the screen when working.

So I'm looking at replacing them with some 'correct' examples. AH Spares show these as correct for a BJ8. Other places I've looked at online all seem to be different designs... So which is correct? Any ideas?

 

[Keoke]

AH Spares show these as correct for a BJ8.

Of all the spares suppliers AH Spares usually has the most correct Item.

However, you may luck out and find a pair of NOS ones on E Bay.

 

[CanberraBJ8]

Thanks Keoke

I was thinking this was probably the case. Their price isnt too bad either.

 

[RAC68]

When my BJ8 was newer and used as my only means of transportation, the wipers were less than minimal by today’s standards and it was not uncommon to change the blades at least twice a year. So it wasn’t long before the Lucas blades were gone and a new set of Trico blades were in their present.

There were two reasons causing this change. The first was the easier availability of the Trico as a display was at every service station. Also, new rubber could be acquired separately and inserted into the blade support. This required simply taking the end clips off and sliding the new rubber, in a metal support, through the rainbow ends of the blade support unit. Over time, this action would cause the blades to bind with wear and a whole new blade would be required to maintain some level of windscreen clear view.

Today, on eBay, the Lucas and Trico blades are available but since I only use my Healey in the rain when surprised by it, and now change my main car twice a year, I scavenge the not so worn rubber of the not-so-worn blades and cut to size and insert them into the Healey blade housing. To date, this has been a very successful effort and, with the improvement of wiper rubber, results in a much clearer windshield than with new originals.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[CanberraBJ8]

Hi Ray,

So which wiper arm and blade carrier (if i can call it that) do you use with the Trico blade?

 

[Keoke]

During the non rainy season you can extend the life of the wiper blades by:
Removing them and putting them in the chubby box or the boot out of the hot suns rays

 

[RAC68]

I am using the original arms with a spoon connector that appears but am not sure came originally. The spoon connectors will accept TRICO and TEX blades but also believe Lucas as well. The spoon connector is angle adjustable and allows for positioning at-rest on or very close to the windscreen rubber.

Hope this helps,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[CanberraBJ8]

Hah! Look at that little Beauty.

I had another look at my wiper arms and lo and behold... they are branded TRICO... However mine seem to be about as light and slimline as you could get. Also they are very sloppy now, with almost an inch and a half movement of the end of the blade (if you wiggle it up and down relative to the stationary arm). I'm wondering if I can modify them to reduce the slop, or just be done with it and obtain some new ones...

Thanks all for the opinions.

 

[RAC68]

It is difficult to interpret the movement you are describing. You mentioned that there is up and down movement at the end of the blade relative to a stationary arm. If up and down references the lift of the arm away from the windshield and the arm provides low blade tension against the windscreen, then a new arm or spring would be required. If the up and down movement at the end of the blade refers to the blade connection to the arm, I would consider a new blade. If the arm splines and mounting wheel are in good condition and the arm demonstrates excessive play, you may have a warn wheel box.

Since there could be additional connection points that have deteriorated over the years, it is difficult to narrow the problem with the information provided. I would suggest doing a little investigation to narrow the location of the problem and consider the cost of its resolution against the frequency of driving in the rain.

Good luck and all the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[CanberraBJ8]

Hi Ray,
Splines and mounting wheel are fine. The 'slop' is as pictured below.

 

[RAC68]

From your pictures, it looks like the arm adapter provides a loose connection to the blade. I would exchange the opposite side blade or borrow a blade to see if there is any difference in the blades. A while back a friend, who had just purchased a Healey, had 2 blades from different manufacturers with different receiver widths.

I expect you have already exchanged your blades to determine if there was a difference. I would see if I could borrow a friend’s blade to check if the receivers are different or the fit is different. Other then tests, I would first buy new blades and, if no change, buy new arms.

Again, I don’t think the play will cause any operational issues and, since I very infrequently drive in the rain, replace the rubber and leave it alone.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[AJAX50]

Hi Ray,
Splines and mounting wheel are fine. The 'slop' is as pictured below.

View attachment 31686

View attachment 31687

View attachment 31688

They look the same as my BJ8 wipers.
I fixed the same problems by careful squeezing with pliers then I fitted new blade rubbers. I bought these for a modern VW campervan (T5) they were over twice as long as the Healey's, I cut them to size and with and a bit of fiddling fitted them replacing the existing blades. It is surprising that the section of the rubber bit is unchanged. It is possible of course that my wiper blades are more recent but I've not changed them in the 20 odd years I've had the car and it came from the U.S.!

 

[pkmh]

As a DIY solution, crimping the sides of the s/s trim to the pin is one possible means of fixing this slack, or crimping the supporting pin more but one needs to be careful not to scar or ding the finished s/s metal around the pin. Another way without having to remove the pin securing the blade apparatus or replacing anything would be to insert spacers as filler pieces on either side between the pin and flanges to the finished trim. Material could be inserting thin metal s/s or other non ferrous washers, then crimping into place (i.e.., similar to those locking wire type fasteners similar to how shear bolts to snow blowers are kept in place). The right size would yield an out of view solution and a very inexpensive one.

 

[CanberraBJ8]

Just a query about the 'fit' of my non-original blades; At the end of the 'sweep' of the blade (so the fartherest position from the parked position) the end of the blade hits and jumps the lower edge of the windscreen, and slightly marks the rubber windscreen seal. Normal, or does this show the blade is too long/the arm too short?

 

[pkmh]

For me, not too sure if this is normal. I also have this problem where the outer edge of the blade ends up sitting past the windshield's edge but only after it has been at rest for some time (wind force probable cause). The only other cause for this is an adjuster to the arm connected to the motor underneath, possibly or the position of the wiper arm to the spindle on the shroud, exterior side. I, like some others I'm sure, do not drive the Healey in the rain or attempt to use the wipers at all except to just check the motor operation from time to time, so I am not going to be a real help from here.

 

[tahoe healey]

The blades will not contact the side of the windscreen no mater what you try. I use RainX and seldom need the wipers (gives a Star Trek, warp-speed, view of the road).

 

[CanberraBJ8]

I think we are at cross purposes here. I don't mean the blade doesn't contact the glass and thereby doesn't clean the rain off around the curvature of the screen. I mean the end of the blade hits the windscreen surround end-on, and then continues a little farther towards the shroud, bouncing of the glass and over the rubber windscreen surround...

 

[CanberraBJ8]

As usual, pictures worth a thousand words...

Normal parked position

End of blade hitting the bottom edge of the screen

And marking the rubber...